US EditionChina launches spacecraft it says will return samples and yield ‘groundbreaking discoveries’
- On May 29, 2025, China initiated its Tianwen-2 mission by launching a Long March 3B rocket at the launch facility located in Xichang, Sichuan province.
- The mission is designed to gather samples from the small, unusual near-Earth asteroid known as Kamo'oalewa and to investigate the main-belt comet 311P/Panstarrs located in the asteroid belt.
- Tianwen-2 will spend about one year reaching Kamo'oalewa, orbit and survey it for landing sites, and use onboard instruments to analyze the asteroid and comet environments.
- The asteroid is 46–58 meters across, a quasi-satellite possibly formed from lunar debris, and samples will return to Earth by 2027 for detailed scientific analysis.
- If successful, Tianwen-2 will make China the third nation to bring back asteroid samples, advancing planetary science and aiding understanding of solar system formation and planetary defense.
97 Articles
97 Articles
China launches first space mission to retrieve asteroid samples
China embarked on Thursday on its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid, with the nighttime launch of its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, set to make the fast-growing space power the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks. The decade-long mission is the latest in recent space efforts that include landing robots on the moon's far side, running a national space station in orbit and investing heavily in plans to send humans to the m…
News24 | China launches challenging mission to retrieve asteroid samples
China embarked on its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid, with the nighttime launch of its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, set to make the fast-growing space power the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks.
Spacecraft - China Launches Asteroid Mission
China has launched its first mission to take samples of an asteroid near Earth. The unmanned probe Tianwen-2 took off aboard a rocket from the Xichang Space Center in Sichuan Province. After 18 minutes, the probe successfully decoupled, it was said by the Chinese Space Agency.
China launches mission to retrieve asteroid samples
China embarked on Thursday on its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid, with the nighttime launch of its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, set to make the fast-growing space power the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage
